Raiders QB Derek Carr on Jon Gruden: ‘I hope he’s really hard on me’

Former Oakland Raiders coach Job Gruden (left) interviewed Fresno State Quarterback Derek Carr (right) ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft for "Gruden QB Camp" segment on ESPN. Jon Gruden has been hired as the Raiders Head Coach and will be working closely with Raiders starting QB Derek Carr. less

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders directs his team before throwing the ball during the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) less

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders directs his team before throwing the ball during the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 31, ... more

Photo: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

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Jon Gruden (center), Oakland Raiders head coach, holds an Oakland Raiders jersey with his name as he stands between Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis (left) and Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (right), after being introduced as the new head coach of the Oakland Raiders at Raiders Headquarters on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 in Alameda, Calif. less

Jon Gruden (center), Oakland Raiders head coach, holds an Oakland Raiders jersey with his name as he stands between Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis (left) and Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie ... more

Photo: Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

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FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2014, file photo Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and quarterback Matt Schaub (8) listen to offensive coordinator Greg Olson during the fourth quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Detroit Lions in Oakland, Calif. Olson was quite clear about what the top priority will be for coach Jon Gruden's new staff with the Raiders. Everything from the smallest details like how practice is conducted to bigger decisions about personnel and scheme will be made with the thought process of how it will help Derek Carr develop into a top-flight NFL quarterback. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) less

There has been plenty of speculation about how Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will handle the in-your-face intensity of new head coach Jon Gruden.

Carr’s stance: Bring it on.

Discussing his new coach in a radio interview with 95.7 The Game on Monday afternoon, Carr said he will welcome the scrutiny of Gruden, who will work closely with the quarterbacks and call plays for the offense in his return to Oakland.

“I hope he’s really hard on me - and I think that he will be,” Carr said. “I know that he loves me. He tells me multiple times when I talk to him that he loves me. He knows that I love him. But he knows that I love winning and I know that he loves winning. And so I hope that he’s hard on me, I really do.

“Some of my best years I’ve had - not only in the NFL, but in college - were with coaches that were extremely tough on me and extremely demanding. For me, that’s nothing. That’s easy. That’s where I thrive. As long as I know you care about me, you love me, you can say whatever you want to me as long as it’s helping me get better.”

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Carr, who was named to his third Pro Bowl on Monday as a replacement for the Patriots’ Tom Brady, said he and Gruden have had “limited contact” since Gruden was hired, per NFL rules. But he said the two have a “great relationship,” having met for the first time when Carr appeared on Gruden’s “QB Camp” series on ESPN in 2014 and stayed in contact in recent years.

“We’re both fired up, man, just to work hard,” Carr said. “I’m eager to learn from him. I’m eager to have him take me under his wing, and let’s see what we can do.”

Carr last season recorded his fewest passing yards (3,496) and lowest passer rating (86.4) since his rookie season with a 22-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Raiders’ offense struggled as a whole, and Carr suggested Monday that after a Week 3 loss to Washington, the unit “kind of got away from who we are and what we practiced a lot.”

Fixing that offense will be Gruden’s first priority. Carr said Gruden has not talked to him about scheme yet, but that Carr is eager to work with Gruden - fiery demeanor and all.

“It’s not going to be a problem at all,” Carr said. “We’re going to have a great relationship. We’re going to be hard on one another, pushing each other to be better, and that’s how it should be. I’m really looking forward to it. … Everyone should be excited, because he’s coming in here with a great mindset, with a great vision, with a great plan, and he’s going to demand excellence from everybody.”